MEET THE NEW TEAM, SAME AS THE OLD TEAM

Eddie "Miracle Worker" Jones trimmed his initial Six Nations squad down to the 23 to face Scotland a week on Saturday, and released 10 players back to their clubs. He has had to declare his hand early, due to the agreement with the (all powerful) Premiership clubs.

M Brown (Harlequins), A Goode (Saracens), J Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), A Watson (Bath), J Joseph (Bath), O Devoto (Bath), O Farrell (Saracens), G Ford (Bath), D Care (Harlequins), B Youngs (Leicester), J George (Saracens), D Hartley (Northampton, captain), J Marler (Harlequins), M Vunipola (Saracens), D Cole (Leicester), P Hill (Northampton), G Kruis (Saracens), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton), C Robshaw (Harlequins), J Haskell (Wasps), J Clifford (Harlequins), B Vunipola (Saracens).

Players released J Beaumont (Sale Sharks), L Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), M Itoje (Saracens), M Kvesic (Gloucester), M Mullan (Wasps), H Thomas (Bath), E Daly (Wasps), S Hill (Exeter Chiefs), S Rokoduguni (Bath), M Yarde (Harlequins).

There are some shocks, with Devoto preferred to Daly (who cannot play any better for his club), probably as he can cover 10, 12 and 13 (although he does not play regularly for Bath), Jack Clifford preferred in the back row to Matt Kvesic and Paul Hill getting the nod in the front row over Henry Thomas. Apart from that, Eddie was very much singing from the Who songbook, with his version of "Won't Get Fooled Again" containing the immortal lyrics, "Meet the New Team, Same As The Old Team". Of the England RWC 23 man squad that was battered 33-13 by Australia, there are 9/15 of the likely starting line up retained, with 3 more on the bench. Only injuries to May and Brookes prevented it from being higher. 

England v Australia RWC 2015: Brown; Watson, Joseph, Barritt, May; Farrell, B Youngs; Marler, T Youngs, Cole, Launchbury, Parling, Wood, Robshaw, Morgan.

Replacements: Burgess for Barritt (65), Ford for May (41), Wigglesworth for B Youngs (50), Vunipola for Marler (50), Webber for T Youngs (61), Brookes for Cole (55), Kruis for Launchbury (70), Easter for Morgan (58).

So, despite some fresh young blood, less revolution more evolution in selection, which means Eddie is going to have to use his six training sessions over the next 10 days to work miracles and extract substantially better performances from these players than Stuart Lancaster did.

A warm Scottish welcome awaits England in 10 days time...